Just spotted on Maud Interiors, via Pinterest these one-of-a-kind handwoven African baskets from Gone Rural sporting colourful hand painted splashes of paint in a stylistic nod to abstract expressionism. I have previously featured the work of Swazi-based social enterprise, Gone Rural on the site, and the organisation continues to shake up the industry with their innovative approach to contemporary African basketry.

Global Goods Partners is a inspirational non-profit social enterprise that was set up by women to help women. Launched in 2005 by Catherine Lieber Shimony and Joan Shifrin, and headquartered in New York, Global Goods Partners works to provide women in some of the world’s most disadvantaged communities with the means to earn a sustainable income by providing a platform to promote and sell collaborative collections of their handmade products. The products are sold through the organisation’s website. Atelier Fifty-Five caught up with co-founder Joan Shifrin to find out more about sustainable design and the life-changing work Global Goods Partners is doing.

 

Quazi Design’s African home decor accessories combines cutting edge craft with design driven aesthetics. The company, based in Swaziland is a social enterprise built on the principles of social, economic, and ecological sustainability, and was started in 2009, by Doron a designer from the UK; and Flotsam, a local Swazi magazine distributor. Quazi Design creates personal and interior African home decor accessories from recycling locally sourced 100% waste magazines, layering or rolling up the pages to give the designs a 3D effect, and once a year showcases their innovative paper fashion.

Heralded as being the first exhibition of its kind in London, September 14th saw the opening of Graphic Africa a thought-provoking showcase and insight into the emergence of innovative diverse contemporary African design aesthetics and all round creativity currently sweeping across the Continent. Highlighting that contemporary African design is offering something different and fresh to the international design market, the exhibition has generated something of a media buzz, and the impact of the exhibition not only for visitors but the designers themselves has been good to see.

 [Image credit: Dokter and Misses Kassena Server taken by Tapiwa]

In the mountainous countryside of the Kingdom of Swaziland a disused cowshed in a former dairy was turned into a candlemaking workshop that has become a local tourist attraction as visitors from all over the world stop by to see the production process, and array of unique handcrafted African candles. Whether round or triangular, animal or fruit; carved or hand painted Swazi Candles are created and finished by hand meaning no two will be the same.

Inspired by craft and tradition, Madwa is an ethical craft project that works with small groups of master weavers in Madagascar and Swaziland to produce contemporary ranges of woven artisan African home decor accessories and textiles.

Based in South Africa, Madwa harnesses the unique weaving skills of the different cultural groups and regions it works with, and is about the preservation of a unique craft heritage, assisting the weavers with product development and gaining access to international markets.

Ngwenya means ‘crocodile’ and encircled by mountains nestles the tiny kingdom of Swaziland, where one of the mountains is said to resemble a basking crocodile; at the summit of this mountain is an ancient iron ore mine that dates back 43 000 years and at the foot you will find the Ngwenya Village, home to the Ngwenya Glass Blowers. I mentioned Ngwenya Glass in the recent post I did on the ‘Piece’ jewellery exhibition and although they created some of the beads that were used, Ngwenya Glass’ scope is much wider. Ngwenya Glass is a factory cum studio producing some rather striking, unique glass products encompassing contemporary interior accessories and tableware. The designs are fluid and very quirky mainly picking up on animal themes given the proximity to some of the world’s most spectacular wildlife populations, in addition to the rich cultural heritage of local Swazi life; think elegant warriors forming the stem that supports the glass to miniature glass animals that double up as candleholders and napkin rings.

Lanvin, acknowledged as the longest running couture fashion house, recently launched its first ever girls wear collection, called ‘Lanvin Petite’ and to mark the occasion has commissioned a set of four very chic soft dolls. Designed by Elber Albaz, Lanvin’s celebrated Creative Director, the beautifully hand-embroidered and hand stitched limited edition dolls were produced by a community of women in Swaziland and will be on sale from November. Lanvin, a fashion house with a rich heritage teamed up with charity Dessine L’Espoir (also known as Designing Hope) to create the pretty little Lanvin dolls which are dressed in miniature versions of the new ‘Lanvin Petite’ collection, and said to pay homage to Lanvin’s founder Jeanne Lanvin, who loved designing children’s clothes.

In Northern Swaziland lies an area called Piggs Peak home to Coral Stephens; a close-knit community weaving high-quality luxurious hand woven interior textiles for home and personal use. Founded in 1949 by Coral Stephens the company produces carpets, rugs, blankets, curtains, shawls and fabrics woven from hand spun mohair and silk; cotton, raffia and wool. Plain or textured designs are skillfully showcased through complimentary hand dyed contemporary colour palettes like; ecru, fawn, brown, duck egg blue, olive and ruby.